Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All

Chapter 381: Way Back Home (1)

Choi Man-Sik's intention to distribute our company's shares to the employees was not out of love for them.

He only offered them stocks at a low price to demand loyalty and had planned to retrieve those shares post-IPO to secure control of Hoop Entertainment in his own hands.

However, I had a way to turn his plan against him.

I turned to Kang Gam-Chan and said, "Mr. Kang, let's fight fire with fire."

I suggested bringing in more talent agents to counter Choi Man-Sik.

Kang Gam-Chan frowned bitterly and said, "Unlike President Choi who controls Suhyaejong, we have no idea who we can trust. So how can we expand like this? If we bring in people recklessly, Choi Man-Sik will take them all."

Nonetheless, no one knew it better than me when it came to a list of trustworthy and competent talent agents.

"Please give me a moment," I replied as I sorted through the talent agents I remembered from before my past life.

I shortlisted thirty capable and loyal talent agents in the industry and sent the names to Kang Gam-Chan via KkTalk.

Kang Gam-Chan asked, "You want me to bring in these people?"

"Yes, they are steadfast and skilled individuals I've met while working on the ground. Plus... I kept an eye on those who showed loyalty."

The fact that none of them were from Suhyaejong particularly caught Kang Gam-Chan's interest.

I proposed, "And please ensure the right to purchase our company's shares is accessible to all employees."

As he looked at the list, a slight smile appeared on Kang Gam-Chan's face. "I recognize some of these names. So, you're saying we should bring these people in?"

"Yes, sir."

If Choi Man-Sik didn't have exclusive rights to buy our company's shares, then the game's rules were simple: whoever brought in the most talent agents to their side would win.

I intended to bring in the most reliable talent agents I could before persuading even those Choi Man-Sik recruited to join my side. After all, I possessed a weapon that Choi Man-Sik didn't.

It was the knowledge of which projects would succeed. If I leaked that information, I was confident the actors and talent agents would eventually side with me.

Watching my confident expression, Kang Gam-Chan chuckled softly. "Understood. I'll reach out to those on this list first."

Kang Gam-Chan promised to bring them in with the best treatment possible.

At that moment, Kang Ji-Yung raised a question. "If we're bringing in talent agents, we'll need even more actors... Do we have a list of actors to recruit?"

"I have some in mind if we have the financial resources."

"We don't need to worry about funds with this year's excellent revenue."

Seizing the moment, I handed over the names of thirty actors I had preselected. Three were A-Class, while the others, though less prominent, were profitable hidden gems.

Kang Ji-Yung nodded in approval. "They look good. Mr. Gu and I will review this list and proceed."

"I also have a few actors not on this list. I'll bring them in myself."

"Please do so."

Kang Gam-Chan looked at us with a determined expression and spoke firmly. "Alright. This time... let's make Hoop Entertainment number one in the industry."

Kang Gam-Chan had always managed the company conservatively, believing that only by keeping the company in the black and ensuring stable management could its affiliated celebrities achieve lasting success.

However, Kang Gam-Chan was shifting his management principles this time. By aiming for the industry's top position, he was willing to endure potential short-term losses to implement an expansionary policy.

Nevertheless, I had already devised plans to keep the company profitable to prevent any chance of Kang Gam-Chan's management capabilities being questioned just because of deficits.

Kang Gam-Chan looked at me with renewed resolve. "I trust you, Yoon-Ho."

His gaze of trust made my heart swell as I responded with determination, "Yes, sir!"

***

Kang Ji-Yung and Jung Soo-Hyuk had work to attend to and left the president's office right after our meeting ended.

With only the two of us remaining, Kang Gam-Chan called Choi Eun-Tae.

-President Kang, I've already heard about the situation. What do you think about me voicing opposition at the shareholders' meeting?

"I appreciate it, but we can handle this on our own," Kang Gam-Chan replied.

Kang Gam-Chan had requested that Choi Eun-Tae focus solely on removing Assemblyman Park Sang-Gon.

-Are you sure? That rascal Man-Sik seems to be acquiring smaller entertainment companies to expand and gather more allies.

"That rather works in our favor. Once this game ends, Hoop Entertainment will rise to be the industry's number one."

Choi Eun-Tae burst into hearty laughter.

-Hahaha. It looks like you're ready to take some risks. Confident, are you?

"Sir, I'm Kang Gam-Chan."

-Indeed, I know your capabilities very well.

Then, Choi Eun-Tae directed his question to me.

-What do you think, Team Lead Jung?

"Don't worry. I won't fall for President Choi Man-Sik's tricks," I replied.

Choi Eun-Tae laughed with satisfaction.

-Reliable, indeed. Hahaha.

After a hearty laugh, Choi Eun-Tae ended the call.

Then, Kang Gam-Chan and I began discussing follow-up measures. However, my mind wasn't on Choi Man-Sik at this moment. Instead, it was on Kim Dong-Soo.

'He's not the type to let things slide...' I pondered.

***

In the visitation room inside Seoul Detention Center, the disheveled figure of Kim Dong-Soo waited for Lee Gi-Cheol.

"Damn it... Jiang Wei. Now he says the funds are delayed?"

Last night, Ryu Shin, Jiang Wei's right-hand man, called to say funds wouldn't be available for a while. Apparently, Jiang Wei was currently under a financial investigation in China.

While this was something that Kim Dong-Soo could tolerate, there was a bigger issue: Colonel Baek.

Colonel Baek had somehow found out Jiang Wei's funds were temporarily blocked and contacted Kim Dong-Soo.

-No money, no information. Do you understand?

Kim Dong-Soo yelled back, promising that the funds would be available soon and asking for the X-FILE of two S-Class celebrities as an advance.

Colonel Baek agreed but threatened that the second payment had to be ready by the time he provided the information. Otherwise, Kim Dong-Soo could expect no further contact.

Growing anxious, Kim Dong-Soo began searching for a separate source of funds and eventually reached out to Lee Gi-Cheol.

Though Lee Gi-Cheol was incompetent at managing celebrities, he had maintained solid connections for years.

Thud.

At that moment, the steel door clanged open and a disheveled detainee appeared on the other side of the acrylic partition.

Once a director at Hoop Entertainment, Lee Gi-Cheol's hair had completely turned white.

"Inmate 1123. You have ten minutes for visitation."

Lee Gi-Cheol nodded and approached the acrylic partition to take a seat.

Hiding his true intentions, Kim Dong-Soo put on a sympathetic expression. "Mr. Lee, are you alright?"

Lee Gi-Cheol made a bitter face. "Mr. Lee? I've been fired from the company."

"Once a director, always a director to me," Kim Dong-Soo said unabashedly.

Although Kim Dong-Soo had initially intended to use and discard Lee Gi-Cheol, he changed his mind upon realizing that he could also face the same fate and be abandoned by Choi Man-Sik.

Hence, he needed loyal people like Kang Myung-Gil or Lee Gi-Cheol, even if they were incompetent.

Lee Gi-Cheol asked, "Enough of the nonsense. Why did you come? Just get to the point."

"The truth is... President Choi Man-Sik is planning to divide the shares held by the shareholders and distribute them to the employees."

"What do you mean by that?"

Since entering prison, Lee Gi-Cheol hadn't received visitors other than his lawyer. Even his family did not visit him.

Lee Gi-Cheol had not received any news regarding the company's affairs, and the news from Kim Dong-Soo was the first company update he had received since being incarcerated.

Kim Dong-Soo revealed that after his own dismissal, Jung Yoon-Ho had swiftly taken control of the company. "President Choi plans to gather a third of the shareholders' shares and distribute them as our company's stock to the talent agents to block Jung Yoon-Ho."

Lee Gi-Cheol's face turned pale. He held a 7% stake in Hoop Entertainment. Even if 1% post-IPO were worth a billion won, 7% would amount to 7 billion won.

Giving up a third of that would mean losing 2.1 billion won—money Lee Gi-Cheol valued more than life itself.

"What the hell do you mean by that!? Who gave him the right to distribute shares?" Lee Gi-Cheol responded agitatedly.

"It seems President Choi intends to use shares to buy talent agents' loyalty, planning to buy back those shares later to take control of the company all at once."

Lee Gi-Cheol fumed with anger. "That crazy bastard Choi Man-Sik. What does he see in Jung Yoon-Ho to go this far? Burning down the entire house to catch a single pest? Business people should stay calm!"

Kim Dong-Soo unintentionally let out a sigh upon hearing Lee Gi-Cheol's words. He briefly reflected on how the ripple effects caused by Jung Yoon-Ho led to Lee Gi-Cheol's imprisonment. Yet this fool still didn't grasp the threat posed by Jung Yoon-Ho.

As much as Kim Dong-Soo wanted to lash out, he held back. He was here today because he needed Lee Gi-Cheol's help.

"That's why I was thinking... shouldn't we prepare to change our allegiance? Relying on Choi Man-Sik might get us tossed aside."

"You're saying we should abandon Choi Man-Sik?"

"We're just tools to be used and discarded by him in the end, right? Honestly, has that man visited you even once since you've been here?"

"...”

"I found out that half of the actors in Actor Division 3 still want you and me back. If we can just get rid of Kang Gam-Chan's supporters, Hoop Entertainment could be ours!"

"That's true. I've invested so many years in Hoop Entertainment. Frankly, I'm the one who built Hoop Entertainment more than Kang Gam-Chan ever did."

Though Lee Gi-Cheol's words were absurd, Kim Dong-Soo continued his flattery. "Exactly. With the right backer, taking control of Hoop Entertainment isn't impossible for us."

Lee Gi-Cheol fell into deep thought. "Give... give me some time to think."

"I can't give you too long. The situation is urgent."

"T-then come back tomorrow. I'd have made up my mind by then."

Kim Dong-Soo stood up and bowed. Even though Lee Gi-Cheol asked for a day to think, it was as good as having him on board.

Suppressing a smirk, Kim Dong-Soo vowed to one day repay this humiliation.

***

In a small windowless gosiwon room in Daehak-ro, Go Jae-Soo was packing his belongings.

Tomorrow, he would go to a mountain temple on Seoraksan to practice acting with Lee Tae-Poong.

"I've lived here for so long..." he mumbled.

After completing his military service, Go Jae-Soo began preparing for the civil service exam at the age of 26. However, he fell deeply in love with the charm of the theater after tagging along with a friend to watch a play.

However, being drawn into theater made it impossible to focus on studying. As such, Go Jae-Soo eventually gave up studying at 28 years old and decided to pursue a career as an actor.

Entering a theater company in Daehak-ro, Go Jae-Soo quickly showed his talent and landed a lead role within two years. Then, he was scouted by a talent agent from TK Entertainment who noticed him by chance.

Yet after joining TK Entertainment, he only managed to get minor roles and had yet to land a substantial part.

Now, things were different. If he were to pass the final confirmation with the director and the investors next week, he could secure the major role of Oh Myung-Jin in Jiri Mountain.

Go Jae-Soo planned to give everything he had during the one week on Seoraksan and hopefully finally escape this dreary gosiwon life.

At that moment, a call came in.

[Caller ID: Second Aunt]

"It's Aunt again."

His second aunt who lived right next to his parents would always call, hiding her worries behind her nagging.

When her eldest son, the same age as Go Jae-Soo, got accepted into Seven Star Electronics five years ago, she pushed him to get a job anywhere.

Then when her second son became a level 7 civil servant this year, she nagged Go Jae-Soo to give up his futile dreams and at least attempt the level 9 civil service exam again.

Although Go Jae-Soo transferred with a contract fee of 50 million won, his role was still undecided.

He didn't want to answer his aunt's call but eventually did so relucantly as he was worried that something might have happened to his parents.

"Hello?"

-Jae-Soo, have you heard the news?

"What news?"

-Your dad. He fell in the cabbage field and might have fractured his hip.

"What?"

'Is this what it means to be truly unlucky?' Go Jae-Soo remarked inwardly.

Go Jae-Soo was supposed to leave for Seoraksan early tomorrow morning, but now his father was injured.

'What should I do?' Go Jae-Soo wondered.

His heart ached to hear the news and wanted to rush to his father. After all, his father had silently supported him all this time despite all the nagging from relatives.

Go Jae-Soo's aunt clicked her tongue and continued.

-Isn't it because you're wasting your time with acting dreams that your dad is trying to earn every penny he can? You should just start preparing for the civil service exam again...

"Aunt, is this really the time to say that when Dad's injured?"

-Why are you yelling? I'm just worried about you. Worried!

"I'm hanging up now!"

Go Jae-Soo hastily ended the call and dialed his father. However, his parents didn't pick up perhaps because they were too preoccupied with the incident.

At the same time, his plans for tomorrow came to mind.

"Oh... this is driving me crazy," he grunted.

Back at TK Entertainment, talent agents never tolerated personal matters. He wasn't sure how things would go at Hoop Entertainment, but postponing his trip to Seoraksan right after transferring would hardly be looked upon kindly.

He struggled to figure out how to explain this to Team Lead Jung Yoon-Ho. However, the worry over his father's possible serious injury finally pushed him to call Jung Yoon-Ho.

"Mr. Jung, actually... would it be possible for me to leave tomorrow evening instead of in the morning?"

-Is something wrong?

"It's my father..."

Go Jae-Soo explained the situation with a trembling voice.

At that moment, Jung Yoon-Ho suddenly raised his voice. However, it was for the exact opposite reason of what Go Jae-Soo had expected.

-Your father's injured and you're worried about work? Get dressed immediately and get ready. I'll come pick you up and take you to him!

At that moment, huge tears began to flow down Go Jae-Soo's face.

The company he had just joined, Hoop Entertainment, was a place filled with genuine warmth.

"Thank... you, Mr. Jung."